New Prioritization Schemes for QoS Provisioning in 802.11 Wireless Networks

Due to the unreliable nature of the wireless medium, provisioning of Quality of Service (QoS) in wireless LANs is far more complicated than in wired networks. In order to address this challenge, IEEE 802.11e defines a framework for QoS support where packets are prioritized based on their traffic characteristics. This paper proposes two new QoS support schemes. One is based on a "User Centric" approach and the other on a "Packet Content Based" approach. The new mechanisms, in addition to the traffic itself, take into consideration the identification of the station that generates the traffic or the content of the traffic.